Temperature-and field-induced transitions in free-standing films of an antiferroelectric liquid crystal

Thin free-standing films of a compound with the smectic-C _A ^* and smectic-C _α ^* phases were investigated by means of depolarized microscopy and optical reflectivity. In thin films, the smectic phase sequence C _A ^* ?C_α/*?A is replaced by a series of temperature-and field-induced transitions into states with the coplanar orientation of molecular tilt planes. Transitions are accompanied by a change in the direction of the electric polarization with respect to the tilt plane of molecules. The coplanar structure of these states is consistent with the Ising model.     

Description of spectrum and electromagnetic transitions in <Superscript>94</Superscript>Mo through the proton-neutron interacting boson model

We investigated the properties of low-lying states in ⁹⁴Mo within the framework of the proton-neutron interacting boson model (IBM-2), with special focus on the characteristics of mixed-symmetry states. We calculated level energies and M1 and E2 transition strengths. The IBM-2 results agree with the available quantitative and qualitative experimental data on ⁹⁴Mo. The properties of mixed-symmetry states can be well described by IBM-2 given that the energy of the d proton boson is different from that of the neutron boson, especially for the transition of B(M1; 4 ₂ ⁺ → 4 ₁ ⁺ ).     

Polarization modulation spectroscopy of surface plasmon resonance

The features of surface plasmon resonance in gold nanofilms deposited on the surface of a total-internal-reflection prism have been investigated theoretically, using the Fresnel equation, and experimentally, with application of the polarization modulation technique. The angular characteristics of the polarization difference of the reflection coefficients for s-and p-polarized light, Δρ = R _s ² ? R _p ² , were measured in the wave-length range λ = 0.4–2.0 μm. It is shown that the characteristics of Δρ, in contrast to the results of standard measurements by the surface plasmon resonance method, have a resonance peak. Due to this, the characteristics of the polarization difference contain nonresonant components whose magnitudes are determined by the internal reflection coefficients for the metal and insulator; these parameters depend on the film thickness. The calculated and experimental data coincide when the model assumes exponential dependence of the refractive indices and extinction coefficients on the thickness of the metal film. It is established that the characteristic parameter of the exponential is a metal film thickness of 11.0 ± 0.5 nm, at which the film optical parameters correspond to the bulk characteristics.     

Mixing of <Emphasis Type="Italic">K</Emphasis><Superscript>0</Superscript> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">B</Emphasis><Superscript>0</Superscript> neutral mesons within the minimum supersymmetry model

Mixing of K ⁰ and B ⁰ mesons is studied in the scope of the minimum supersymmetry model (MSSM) with a type II Yukawa sector and explicit violation of CP invariance in the Higgs potential. The mixing parameters Δm _LS and ? are calculated in the limit of the low-energy four-fermion approximation with a charged Higgs boson exchange. It is shown that supersymmetric effects are very small for K ⁰ mesons and may be quite significant for B _s ⁰ and B _d ⁰ mesons, which imposes constraints on the MSSM parameter space.     

On double polarization asymmetries in the elastic electron-proton scattering

Double polarization asymmetry D_p^(M) for the process of elastic electroweak scattering of the longitudinally polarized electrons by polarized proton target is considered with account of anapole G_1p and electric dipole moment (EDM) G_2p proton form factors. This asymmetry is only due to T-parity violating form factor G_2p, but does not directly depend on it, and having a significant value, allows to confirm the existence of the EDM of the proton.     

Nuclear magnetic relaxation of spin<Emphasis Type="Italic">I</Emphasis>=1/2 scalar coupled to a quadrupolar nucleus in the presence of cross-correlation effects

The rigorous treatment of relaxation for the dipolar-multipolarAX spin system (I=1/2,S>1/2) in the presence of the dipolarI-S coupling, anisotropy chemical shift and quadrupolar interaction ofS spin is proposed. The calculations of the spin evolution under the relaxation Hamiltonian are based on the second-order time-dependent perturbation theory and are carried out in the operator representation. For this task the double commutator identities of the type [[I _±S _z ⁿ ,A _q ^μp ]A _?q ^μp ] and [[I _zS _z ⁿ ,A _q ^μp ]A _?q ^μp. ] are derived. The fist-order differential equations for the evolution of longitudinal two-spin orderI _zS _z ⁿ , z=magnetization ofS spinS _z ⁿ and coherences <I _±S _z ⁿ > in the spin systemIS with scalar coupling between spin 1/2 and quadrupolar spinS>1/2 were obtained. These equations are used to get equations for the evolutions of each component of the multiplet structure of spinI. The imaginary part of the cross-correlation spectral density function and indirect spin-spin coupling Hamiltonian are taken into account. Equations for the longitudinal components of theI spin spectrum in the presence of cross-correlation effects were obtained also. Longitudinal and transverse relaxation times and cross-relaxation times in the presence of cross-correlation D-CSA, Q-CSA, Q-D were analyzed.     

Integral characteristics of vibronic-spin-orbit interactions in a phosphorus-containing analogue of the fluorene molecule

The strengths (P ₀₀ ^s )² and F _VSO ² of the transitions from the triplet sublevels s = z, y, and x of the electronic state ³A″ of the phenyldibenzophosphole (DB(P-Ph)) molecule are calculated taking into account the intramolecular spin-orbit (SO) and joint vibronic-spin-orbit (VSO) interactions. The contributions to the vibronic transition strengths from the SO interactions in different structural elements of the molecule (the C atoms of the dibenzene framework, the P atom, and the Ph substituent) are determined. The effect of the nonplanar nuclear configuration of the DB(P-Ph) molecule on the values of F _VSO ^s is investigated. The radiative deactivation rate constants of the k _rad ^s triplet sublevels T ^s are estimated. It is found that the vibrations of the A′(B₁) symmetry in the fine-structure phosphorescence spectrum of DB(P-Ph) occur due to both the SO coupling exclusively in the P atom and the T ^x → S₀ transition (the x axis is perpendicular to the planar dibenzene framework of the molecule) with a high (preferential) population of this triplet sublevel.     

The nature of the lower excited state of the special pair of bacterial photosynthetic reaction center of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rhodobacter Sphaeroides</Emphasis> and the dynamics of primary charge separation

Quantum-chemical calculations of the structure in the ground and lower singlet excited states and the vibrations (in the ground state) of special pair P of photosynthetic reaction center of purple bacteria (RCPb) Rhodobacter Sphaeroides, consisting of two bacteriochlorophyll molecules P_A and P_B, have been carried out. It is shown that excitation of the special pair is followed by fast relaxation dynamics, accompanied by the transformation of the initial P* state into the P_A^δ+P_B^δ- state (δ ~ 0.5) with charge separation. This behavior is due to the presence of several nonplanar vibrations with participation of the acetyl group of macrocycle P_В in the nuclear wave packet on the potential surface of the P* state; these vibrations facilitate destabilization of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) and highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) of the macrocycle P_A and formation of the P_A^δ+P_B^δ- state. The structural transformations in the P* state are due to its linking character in the contact region of the acetyl group-containing pyrrole rings of P_A and P_B. The transition from the P* state to specifically the P_A^δ+P_B^δ- state is related to the fact that the acetyl group P_A is involved in the intermolecular hydrogen bond with amino acid residue His^L168; for this reason, this group and the pyrrole ring linked with it can hardly participate in structural transformations. The electronic matrix element Н₁₂ of the electron transfer from the special pair in the P_A^δ+P_B^δ- state to a molecule of accessory bacteriochlorophyll В_А greatly exceeds that for the transfer to В_B. This circumstance and the fact that the P_A^δ+P_B^δ- state is energetically more favorable than the P* state facilitate the preferred directionality of the electron transfer in RCPb Rhodobacter Sphaeroides with participation of the cofactors located in its subunit L.     

Excitons in monoclinic zinc diphosphide: The <Emphasis Type="Italic">A</Emphasis>-exciton series and Fano effect

The A-exciton series in the absorption spectra of β-ZnP₂ monoclinic zinc diphosphide samples is investigated at different directions of the wave vector and different polarization states of radiation. It is shown that the oscillator strengths determined for the observed transitions are adequately described by the relationship F _n ∝n^?3 characteristic of S-type exciton states. The assumption is made that the A-exciton series is associated with the partially allowed dipole transitions to nS states of the orthoexciton with Γ ₂ ^? (x) symmetry at m _s =0. These states are mixed, to a first approximation, with nS states of the Γ ₂ ^? (z) singlet exciton due to the spin-orbit 2 interaction and are split off by the long-range (nonanalytical) part of the exchange interaction. The Fano antiresonances arise in the absorption spectra at resonances of the A-exciton series when the radiation vector E (or the induction vector D) has a component along the crystallographic axis c. These antiresonances are induced by the configurational interaction of discrete exciton states of the A series with the continuum of the exciton-phonon spectrum due to indirect transitions to the 1S band of the singlet exciton with phonon emission.     

Specific features of the three-electron <Emphasis Type="Italic">KL</Emphasis><Stack><Subscript>2, 3</Subscript><Superscript>2</Superscript></Stack> ionization of silicon atoms upon near-threshold photoabsorption

The shape and relative intensity of the group of the Kα_5–8 satellites (radiative transitions KL _{2, 3} ² )-L _{2, 3} ³ of Si atoms are experimentally studied upon photoabsorption near and far from the KL _{2, 3} ² ionization threshold. The satellites were excited near the ionization threshold by lines of the characteristic L spectrum and bremsstrahlung radiation from Nb and Mo anodes and far from the threshold by the L spectrum and bremsstrahlung radiation from an Ag anode and by monochromatized Kα_{1, 2} radiation from a Ti anode. It is established that the probability P(L _{2, 3} ² ) of formation of two additional 2p vacancies during KL _{2, 3} ² photoabsorption of Si atoms near the energy threshold is by a factor of 1.5 lower than that during photoionization in a more distant energy region beyond the threshold. At the same time, the P(L _{2, 3} ² )/P(L _{2, 3}) ratio remains invariable for the absorbed photons throughout the energy range studied. It is demonstrated that, as the KL _{2, 3} ² ionization threshold is approached, an intensity redistribution occurs among the components of the group of the Kα_5–8 lines, which reflects a decrease in the excitation cross section ratio σ(⁴ P)/σ(² P) of the ⁴ P and ² P terms of the KL _{2, 3} ² configuration. A conclusion is drawn that the effects of suppression of the generation of P terms of higher multiplicity during the KL _{2, 3} and KL _{2, 3} ² near-threshold photoionizations are of a common nature.     

Optical characteristics of radiation from N<Stack><Subscript>2</Subscript><Superscript>*</Superscript></Stack> dimers in a barrier discharge

The spectral and power characteristics of radiation of the second positive system of nitrogen (C ³Π _u → B ³Π _g ) in Ar-N₂ and Ar-N₂-Cl₂ mixtures excited by barrier discharge have been studied experimentally. Addition of argon to N₂ increased the radiation power by sixfold. In the triple mixture Ar-N₂-Cl₂ = 210/0.5/0.005, minor chlorine additions increased the intensity of the C ³Π _u → _B ³Π _g transition by 26% compared to Ar-N₂ mixtures. Radiation power density of 2.7 mW/cm² has been achieved. In both binary and triple mixtures, the second positive system of nitrogen was the major contributor to radiation, while the contributions of the fourth positive system of N ₂ ^* (D ³Σ _u ⁺ → B ³Π _g ), the Vegard-Kaplan transition of N ₂ ^* (A ³Σ _u ⁺ → X ¹Σ _g ⁺ ), and the D′ → A′ band of Cl ₂ ^* were negligibly small.     

The origin of frustration of magnetic coupling in the NiFeCrO<Subscript>4</Subscript> ferrite

The magnetostriction of the NiFeCrO₄ ferrite is investigated for the first time. It is found that the frustration of magnetic coupling occurs only in the B sublattice of the NiFeCrO₄ ferrite, whereas the A sublattice has a usual magnetic structure. The inference is made that the frustration of magnetic coupling in the B sublattice is caused not only by the negative direct BB exchange interaction Cr _B ³⁺ -Cr _B ³⁺ but also by the positive indirect AB exchange interaction Fe _A ³⁺ -O^2?-Cr _B ³⁺ . Reasoning from the experimental data and an analysis of the exchange interactions in the NiFeCrO₄ ferrite sample, it is demonstrated for the first time that the magnetic moments of Fe _A ³⁺ ions in this ferrite deviate from collinearity. It is established that, at low temperatures, the B sublattice of the NiFeCrO₄ ferrite is responsible for the total magnetic moment n_0exp.     

Probabilities of forbidden magnetic-dipole transitions in the hydrogen atom and hydrogen-like ions

Explicit formulasfor strongly forbidden magnetic-dipole transitiions between states njl and n′jl in the hydrogen atom and light hydrogen-like ions are derived. The expressions for transition probabilities are presented in the form W _{n′jl; njl} ^(M1) = D _n′n ^lj αm _e (αZ)¹⁰ (in relativistic units), where m _e is the electron mass, α is the fine-structure constant, and Z is the nuclear charge; the constants D _n′n ^lj are presented in an analytical form. Before now, only the D ₂₁ ^01/2 coefficient corresponding to the 1s _1/2–2s _1/2 transition was known in explicit form. The results obtained can be used in designing an experiment on parity violation in the hydrogen atom.     

Dipole moment functions for electronic transitions from ion-pair states of the second tier of molecular iodine

The emission spectra caused by the transitions from the ion-pair states and f0 _g ⁺ and G1_g of the I₂ molecule are obtained by excitation of individual rovibronic levels of the molecule by the method of optical-optical double resonance. The emission spectra from the state F0 _u ⁺ populated due to collisions I₂(f) + I₂(X) are also measured. By modeling the experimental emission spectra, the dipole moment functions for the electronic transitions f _g ⁺ -B0 _u ⁺ , A0 _u ⁺ , and B″0 _u ⁺ ; G1_g-A0 _u ⁺ and B″0 _u ⁺ ; and F0 _u ⁺ -X0 _g ⁺ and a′0 _g ⁺ of the iodine molecule are reconstructed.     

Study of collective flow effects in CC collisions at a momentum of 4.2 GeV/<Emphasis Type="Italic">c</Emphasis> per nucleon

Directed (in-plane) flows of protons, pions, and projectile light fragments (d, t, ³He, ⁴He) have been observed by investigating the dependence of the mean transverse momentum in the reaction plane 〈p _x 〉 on the rapidity y in the c.m. system for CC collisions at a momentum of 4.2 GeV/c per nucleon. The comparison of our in-plane-flow results of protons with flow data for various projectile/target configurations was made using the scaled flow F _s = F/(A _P ^1/3 + A _T ^1/3 ). F _s demonstrates a common scaling behavior for flow values from different systems. From azimuthal distributions of protons and π^? mesons, out-of-plane (squeeze-out) flow effects have been observed and the parameter a₂ (the measure of the anisotropic emission strength) has been extracted. The quark-gluon string model reproduces the experimental results quite well.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">B</Emphasis>-meson decays into charmonium states in the ATLAS experiment

The paper presents several recent ATLAS results on the analyses of B-meson decays into charmonium states. These include the measurements of B⁺ mass and the fractions of J/ψ mesons produced in b-hadron decays in pp collisions at \(\sqrt s\) = 13 TeV in the center of mass system. The measured partial widths and polarizations in B _c ⁺ → J/ψD _s ^(*)+ decays and CP-violation parameters in B _s ⁰ → J/ψ? decays in pp collisions at 7 and 8 TeV in the center of mass system are also presented.     

Vibronic-spin-orbit interactions in heterocyclic analogues of fluorene with the N and O heteroatoms

The transition dipole moments P _0n ^s for the transitions from the electronic triplet state ³ B ²(ππ*) to vibrational sublevels of the vibrational out-of-plane modes n of the carbazole and dibenzofuran molecules are calculated. The values of the radiative deactivation rate constant k _rad ^s of the triplet sublevels T ^s are determined along with the components k _SO ^s and k _VSO ^s of this constant, which depend on the intramolecular spin-orbit (SO) and vibronic-spin-orbit (VSO) interaction. It is ascertained that k _rad ^z > k _rad ^y . For different structural units of the molecules (the heteroatom and the carbon atoms of the dibenzene fragment), the effect of the SO coupling on the constant k _VSO～Σ_{s, n} (P _0n ^s )² is studied. A competition between the effects on k _VSO from the SO coupling in the carbon atoms and in the light N and O heteroatoms is revealed. This competition accounts for the weak influence of the heteroatom on this component of the rate constant k _rad in these molecules. It is ascertained that the intensity distribution among the vibronic lines in the phosphorescence spectra of carbazole and dibenzofuran I _0n ～Σs (P _0n ^s )² is different due to the substantially different influence of the N and O heteroatoms on the deactivation of the triplet sublevel T ^y .     

Single-spin asymmetry of in clusive γ produ ction in $$p_ \uparrow p$$ intera ctions at 200 GeV/ c

From the data of Fermilab polarization experiment E704, the analyzing power A _N ^γ of inclusively produced photons was extracted. It is small, of the order of 2–4%. The analyzing power of “leading” photons (the fastest in π⁰ → γγ decay) is a factor of 2 higher than A _N ^γ assuming a definite model for x_F dependence of A _N ^γ . A Monte Carlo simulation is performed in order to see effects at higher statistics than in the E704 experiment. This simulation showed that the process of inclusive photons may be used as a basis for future polarimetry at polarized colliders. The example of one local photon polarimeter at RHIC is discussed.     

Long-range spin correlations in a honeycomb spin model with a magnetic field

We consider the spin-1/2 model on the honeycomb lattice [A. Kitaev, Ann. Phys. 321, 2 (2006)] in the presence of a weak magnetic field h _α ? J. Such a perturbation treated in the lowest nonvanishing order over h _α leads [K.S. Tikhonov, M.V. Feigel’man, and A.Yu. Kitaev, Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 067203 (2011)] to a powerlaw decay of irreducible spin correlations 《s ^z (t, r)s ^z (0, 0)》 ∝ h _z ² f(t, r), where f(t, r) ∝ [max(t, Jr)]^–4. We have studied the effects of the next order of perturbation in h _z and found an additional term of the order h _z ⁴ in the correlation function 《s ^z (t, r)s ^z (0, 0)》 which scales as h _z ⁴ cosγ/r ³ at Jt? r, where γ is the polar angle in the 2D plane. We demonstrate that such a contribution can be understood as a result of a perturbation of the effective Majorana Hamiltonian by the weak imaginary vector potential A _x ∝ i h _z ² .